Jon Brown Designs - Check out our collection of MacOS, iOS and other custom applications. Your one stop shop for all things Apple for the best in tips & tricks.https://jonbrown.org
To Update macOS 10.14 Mojave Use This New System Preferences Pane<p>For years, you’ve used the App Store app to install operating system and
app updates on your Mac. That’s still true for apps, but with macOS
10.14 Mojave, Apple moved operating system updates to the new Software
Update preference pane, which replaces the old App Store preference
pane. Open System Preferences &gt; Software Update to check your version
of macOS and access available updates—there will be an Update Now
button to click. You should also visit this pane to tell your Mac how to
best handle system and app updates: Don’t select “Automatically keep my
Mac up to date” because updates might come at an inconvenient time for
you. Instead, click Advanced and then select “Check for updates” and
“Install system data files and security updates”—they’re important.
Unless you’re low on drive space, selecting “Download new updates when
available” is fine, since that will make updating faster. However, keep
“Install macOS updates” and “Install app updates from the App Store” off
so you can choose when to update.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/prefpane/image2.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
Thu, 15 Nov 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/to-update-macos-10.14-mojave-use-this-new-system-preferences-pane/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/to-update-macos-10.14-mojave-use-this-new-system-preferences-pane/What Are All These New Privacy Request Dialogs in Mojave<p>With macOS 10.14 Mojave, Apple has beefed up the Mac’s privacy so it
more closely resembles privacy in iOS. You’ve noticed that when you
launch a new app on your iPhone or iPad, it often prompts for access to
your photos or contacts, the camera or microphone, and more. The idea
behind those prompts is that you should always be aware of how a
particular app can access your personal data or features of your device.
You might not want to let some new game thumb through your photos or
record your voice.</p>
<p>macOS has been heading in this direction, but Mojave makes apps play
this “Mother, May I?” game in more ways. As a result, particularly after
you first upgrade, you may be bombarded with dialogs asking for various
permissions. For instance, when you first make a video call with Skype,
it’s going to ask for access to the camera and the microphone. Grant
permission and Skype won’t have to ask again.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/mojaveprivacy/image2.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>Skype’s requests are entirely reasonable—it wouldn’t be able to do its
job without such access. That applies more generally, too. In most
cases, apps will ask for access for a good reason, and if you want the
app to function properly, you should give it access.</p>
<p>However, be wary if a permission dialog appears when:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>You haven’t just launched a new app</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>You aren’t doing anything related to the request</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>You don’t recognize the app making the request</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>There’s no harm in denying access; the worst that can happen is that the
app won’t work. (And if it’s malicious, you don’t want it to work!) You
can always grant permission later.</p>
<p>To see which permissions you’ve granted or denied, open System
Preferences &gt; Security &amp; Privacy &gt; Privacy. A list of categories
appears on the left; click one to see which apps have requested access.
If you’ve granted access, the checkbox next to the app will be selected;
otherwise it will be empty.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/mojaveprivacy/image3.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>You’ll notice that the lock in the lower-left corner is closed. To make
changes, click it and sign in as an administrator when prompted.</p>
<p>Most of these categories are self-explanatory, but it might not always
be obvious why an app wants permission. In the screenshot above, for
instance, Google Chrome has been granted access to the Mac’s camera.
Why? So Google Hangouts and other Web-based video-conferencing services
can work.</p>
<p>There are five categories (including three not showing above) that could
use additional explanation:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Accessibility:</strong> Apps that request accessibility access want to
control your Mac. In essence, they want to be able to pretend to
click the mouse, type on the keyboard, and generally act like a
user. Utility and automation software often needs such access.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Full Disk Access:</strong> This category is a catch-all for access to
areas on your drive that aren’t normally available to apps, such as
data in Mail, Messages, Safari, Home, and more, including Time
Machine backups and some admin settings. Backup and synchronization
utilities may need full disk access, in particular. An app can’t
request full disk access in the normal way; you must add it manually
by clicking the + button under the list and navigating to the app in
the Applications folder.\
<img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/mojaveprivacy/image4.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Automation:</strong> The Mac has long had a way for apps to communicate
with and control one another: Apple events. An app could
theoretically steal information from another via Apple events, so
Mojave added the Automation category to give you control over which
apps can control which other apps. You’ll see normal permission
requests, but they’ll explain both sides of the communication.\
<img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/mojaveprivacy/image5.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Analytics:</strong> The Analytics privacy settings are completely
different—they let you specify whether or not you want to share
information about how you use apps with Apple and the developers of
the apps you use. For most people, it’s fine to allow this sharing.\
<img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/mojaveprivacy/image6.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Advertising:</strong> Finally, the Advertising options give you some
control over the ads that you may see in Apple apps. In general, we
recommend selecting Limit Ad Tracking, and if you click Reset
Advertising Identifier, any future connection between you and the
ads you’ve seen will be severed from past data. There’s no harm in
doing it. It’s worth clicking the View Ad Information and About
Advertising and Privacy buttons to learn more about what Apple does
with ads.\
<img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/mojaveprivacy/image7.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>So if you’ve been seeing repeated requests for permission after you
upgraded to Mojave, now you know why these dialogs keep popping up.
They’re a bit annoying at first, but the added privacy is worthwhile,
and once you’ve granted permission to an app, you shouldn’t hear from it
again.</p>
Tue, 13 Nov 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/what-are-all-these-new-privacy-request-dialogs-in-mojave/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/what-are-all-these-new-privacy-request-dialogs-in-mojave/So What Are All Those Stacks of Notifications in iOS 12<p>It can be easy to become overwhelmed by iOS notifications, particularly
if you have chatty friends or apps. In iOS 12, Apple corralled
notifications by grouping them into stacks so you no longer see an
endless screen of alerts. To expand a stack of notifications on either
the Lock screen or in Notification Center (swipe down from the top of
the screen), tap the stack. Once you’ve expanded a stack, you can tap
Show Less to restack it, tap the X button to remove the entire stack, or
tap any individual notification to open it. By default, iOS 12 groups
notifications intelligently, which might entail separate stacks for
different Messages conversations, for instance. If that’s still too
much, you can go to Settings &gt; Notifications &gt; <em>App Name</em> &gt;
Notification Grouping and tap By App to collect every notification from
the app into the same stack.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/sowhat/image2.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
Thu, 08 Nov 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/so-what-are-all-those-stacks-of-notifications-in-ios-12/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/so-what-are-all-those-stacks-of-notifications-in-ios-12/The Best Apple-Related Gifts for 2018<p>Black Friday and the start of the holiday shopping seasons are nearly
upon us. If you’re looking for gift ideas for your Apple-using loved
ones, we have a few suggestions that are guaranteed to be popular.</p>
<h3 id="apple-watch">Apple Watch</h3>
<hr />
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/giftguide/image2.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>The new Apple Watch Series 4 may be the gift hit of the season as adult
children buy it for aging parents. That’s happening due to the Apple
Watch’s health monitoring capabilities, which include fall detection,
atrial fibrillation detection, and (soon) the capability to record
electrocardiograms. It may seem expensive at $399 for the Wi-Fi version
or $499 for the cellular version that can call emergency services even
if its companion iPhone isn’t nearby, but the cost pales in comparison
with the price of any medical event.</p>
<p>For those who are more interested in the Apple Watch’s fitness and
communication features, last year’s Apple Watch Series 3 now starts at
just $279 for Wi-Fi and $379 for cellular. It lacks the health
monitoring features of the Series 4, but those are overkill for most
young, healthy people. The cellular version is worthwhile only if you’re
certain the recipient will make use of the watch while out and about
without the iPhone, since its data plan costs $10 extra per month.</p>
<p>And, if someone on your gift list already has an Apple Watch, a new band
would make a great present—Apple offers a wide variety of attractive
and comfortable bands.</p>
<h3 id="homepod">HomePod</h3>
<hr />
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/giftguide/image3.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>Apple’s smart speaker may not be as popular as the Amazon Echo and
Google Home, but it sounds way better than its cheaper competition.
Apple designed it to work with the $9.99 per month Apple Music service
so if your recipient doesn’t already subscribe to Apple Music, you could
include a subscription as part of the gift. The HomePod is available in
black or white, and it’s super simple to set up and use via Siri for
music, podcasts, speakerphone calls, kitchen timers, and a whole lot
more.</p>
<h3 id="stocking-stuffer-accessories">Stocking Stuffer Accessories</h3>
<hr />
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/giftguide/image4.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="450" /></p>
<p>You might not get the same “Wow!” factor with these gifts, but Apple’s
focus on minimalist design has created a situation where many users find
themselves frustrated by the lack of the right cable or adapter.</p>
<p>iPhone users might appreciate an extra Lightning charging cable or a
Lightning-to-headphone adapter to take advantage of inexpensive earbuds.
And those who rely on a MacBook with USB-C or a MacBook Pro with
Thunderbolt 3 are usually desperate for USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 cables
and adapters. Some of the most popular convert USB-C to USB-A for many
devices, USB-C to HDMI for large-screen displays, and Thunderbolt 2 to
Thunderbolt 3 for older Thunderbolt hard drives. Ask first to find out
what they find most annoying!</p>
<p>Plus, a second iPhone, Mac, or Apple Watch charger can help reduce
battery anxiety and make it easier to pack one for trips.</p>
<h3 id="airpods">AirPods</h3>
<hr />
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/giftguide/image5.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>One of the most popular Apple products of late has been the AirPods,
svelte wireless earbuds that pair quickly and seamlessly to all Apple
devices logged in to the same iCloud account. They’re light, stay in the
ear well, and are comfortable even for many people who can’t wear the
wired EarPods. At $159, they’re not cheap, but they’re less expensive
than many competing wireless earbuds.</p>
<h3 id="apple-tv">Apple TV</h3>
<p>—\
Despite its age, the $149 fourth-generation Apple TV still makes a good
present for anyone who watches TV shows and movies from Netflix, iTunes,
Hulu, and other Internet streaming video services. It’s also great for
sharing photos or videos from an iPhone or iPad on the big screen via
AirPlay. Unless your recipient has or is likely to get a compatible 4K
HDR TV, skip the $179 Apple TV 4K since it provides no benefits on
older TV screens.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/giftguide/image6.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>For the friend or family member who already has an Apple TV, search for
silicone cases that protect the brittle Siri Remote and make it easier
to orient in the dark.</p>
<h3 id="ipad">iPad</h3>
<hr />
<p>Last, but far from least, if someone in your family has never tried an
iPad or is limping along with an early model, the current
sixth-generation iPad combines good performance and a gorgeous screen
starting at just $329.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/giftguide/image7.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>It’s also compatible with the original $99 Apple Pencil, so if your
recipient has an artistic bent, consider adding Apple’s stylus and maybe
a painting app.</p>
<p>Of course, particularly if you’re buying an iPad for a child, a
protective case is a must, and even for adults, a good case can provide
peace of mind and hold the iPad in convenient positions for reading
books or watching movies.</p>
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/the-best-apple-related-gifts-for-2018/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/the-best-apple-related-gifts-for-2018/Apple Finally Updates MacBook Air and Mac Mini<p>At a special event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Apple threw back
the curtains on significant updates to the long-ignored MacBook Air and
even longer-ignored Mac mini. Then Tim Cook and company followed up with
revamped 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, complete with an enhanced
Smart Keyboard Folio and redesigned Apple Pencil. You can order all of
Apple’s new gear right away, though demand may delay shipping for a week
or two on some items.</p>
<h2 id="macbook-air-gains-retina-display-and-touch-id">MacBook Air Gains Retina Display and Touch ID</h2>
<hr />
<p>When Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air in 2008 by pulling it out of
an envelope, it set the standard for the ultralight notebook category.
But Apple has focused on the high-end MacBook Pro line of late, making
this major revision extremely welcome.</p>
<h3 id="retina-display-and-touch-id">Retina Display and Touch ID</h3>
<hr />
<p>Most notably, the new <a href="https://www.apple.com/macbook-air/">[MacBook
Air]{.underline}</a> features a
13.3-inch Retina display that’s far crisper than the previous model’s
screen. Although the screen is the same size as before, Apple eliminated
the aluminum bezel around it, taking the screen much closer to the edge.
That let the company reduce the MacBook Air’s size, making it almost an
inch (2.1 cm) less wide and more than half an inch (1.5 cm) less deep.
Even more important, Apple dropped the weight by almost a quarter pound
(100 g). It’s noticeably smaller and lighter now.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/applefinally/image2.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>The other major improvement in the MacBook Air is the addition of a
Touch ID sensor in the upper-right corner of the keyboard. Rather than
typing your password to log in, you can just place your finger on the
Touch ID sensor. It also works to unlock some apps like 1Password. To
support the Touch ID sensor, the MacBook Air includes Apple’s T2
security chip, which prevents the boot process from being tampered with,
encrypts all data on the SSD, and enables “Hey Siri.”</p>
<h3 id="evolutionary-updates">Evolutionary Updates</h3>
<hr />
<p>Many of the remaining changes just bring the MacBook into the modern
age. It sports two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the left side for charging and
connecting peripherals, and a headphone jack on the right side—all the
previous ports are gone. The keyboard is the same one used in the most
recent update to the MacBook Pro, which isn’t universally loved—if
you’re particular about keyboards, give this one a try before buying.
Apple also replaced the old Multi-Touch trackpad with a larger Force
Touch trackpad that’s more responsive and provides additional
capabilities.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/applefinally/image3.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>By default, the MacBook Air comes with 8 GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD. You
can jump to 16 GB for $200, and we generally recommend that. Similarly,
you can upgrade the storage to 256 GB for $200, 512 GB for $400, or
1.5 TB for $1200.</p>
<p>We haven’t mentioned performance yet. Apple says only that the MacBook
Air’s 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor delivers “the
performance you need for everyday activities like organizing your
photos, browsing the Web, creating presentations or viewing and editing
videos.” Since Apple never misses the chance to say how much faster a
new Mac is than the model it replaces, we have to assume that the new
MacBook is no faster than the old one. Hopefully, benchmarks will appear
soon.</p>
<h3 id="price">Price</h3>
<hr />
<p>The new MacBook Air comes in silver, gold, and space gray, and pricing
starts at $1199 for 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. If performance
is important to you, however, you should consider the non-Touch Bar
13-inch MacBook Pro, which costs only $100 more and is just a bit
heavier. And if you’re willing to settle for older technology and a
larger form factor, note that the old MacBook Air remains for sale
starting at $999. Finally, the 12-inch MacBook also remains in the
lineup, but at $1299, it’s overpriced and underpowered, and thus
interesting only if you want the smallest possible Mac.</p>
<h2 id="mac-mini-goes-pro-with-massive-performance-boost">Mac mini Goes Pro with Massive Performance Boost</h2>
<hr />
<p>Apple updated the MacBook Air for consumers and students, but the
company is aiming the revamped <a href="https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/">[Mac
mini]{.underline}</a> at professional
users. This update, the first in over 4 years, takes a cue from the
similarly pro-focused iMac Pro in changing the color from silver to
space gray, but otherwise it retains the same form factor—7.7 inches
(19.7 cm) square and 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) high.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/applefinally/image4.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<h3 id="speeds-and-feeds">Speeds and Feeds</h3>
<hr />
<p>What has changed are the guts of the Mac mini, which offer huge
performance gains over the previous version from 2014. Those
improvements come from eighth-generation Intel Core processors: a base
3.6 GHz 4-core i3, a mid-level 3.0 GHz 6-core i5, and a top-of-the-line
3.2 GHz 6-core i7. Apple claims up to five times the performance of the
previous Mac mini and up to 60% speedier graphics performance thanks to
the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630.</p>
<p>You won’t lack for RAM or storage either. The Mac mini comes with 8 GB
of RAM, but you can upgrade to 16 GB ($200), 32 GB ($600), or 64 GB
($1400). Less expensive memory is available from other vendors. While
the Mac mini’s base 128 GB of SSD storage might be adequate if all your
data is stored on a NAS device, you can upgrade to 256 GB ($200), 512
GB ($400), 1 TB ($800), or 2 TB ($1600). That storage is
automatically encrypted thanks to the Mac mini’s T2 security chip, which
also speeds HEVC video transcoding.</p>
<p>While Apple’s notebooks have been shedding ports, the Mac mini has
bucked the trend. It features four Thunderbolt 3 ports, an HDMI 2.0
port, two USB-A ports, an audio jack, and a Gigabit Ethernet jack, with
10 Gigabit Ethernet as an option. Thanks to the Thunderbolt 3 and HDMI
ports, you can connect either a 5K display and a 4K display, or three 4K
displays.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/applefinally/image5.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<h3 id="price-1">Price</h3>
<hr />
<p>All this power comes at a price. The new Mac mini starts at $799 for
the 3.6 GHz 4-core Intel Core i3, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage.
However, build-to-order options for a faster processor, more RAM, and
more storage could raise the price to a whopping $4199.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the Mac mini is once again an attractive option for anyone
who already has a good display, keyboard, and mouse, none of which are
included. It’s also ideal for those who want to stuff a Mac into a tight
space, bring it on stage for a live performance, or stack a bunch of
them for rendering video.</p>
<h3 id="11-inch-and-129-inch-ipad-pro-boast-new-screens-and-redesigned-apple-pencil">11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro Boast New Screens and Redesigned Apple Pencil</h3>
<hr />
<p>As welcome as the MacBook Air and Mac mini updates were, Apple really
knocked it out of the park with its new <a href="https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/">[iPad
Pro]{.underline}</a> models, which are the
most significant changes to the iPad line yet.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/applefinally/image6.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<h3 id="face-id-enables-physical-redesigns">Face ID Enables Physical Redesigns</h3>
<hr />
<p>Like the iPhone X series, these new iPad Pros drop Touch ID in favor of
Face ID authentication. The 7-megapixel TrueDepth camera on the front of
the iPad Pro that makes Face ID possible also enables support for
Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting, and Animoji and Memoji.</p>
<p>Losing the Home button enabled Apple to bring the display closer to the
edge of the iPad. With the 11-inch iPad Pro (the measurement is the
diagonal screen size), that means a larger display in roughly the same
form factor as the older 10.5-inch model (which remains for sale). And
with the 12.9-inch iPad, Apple kept the display size the same as before
but shrank the height of the case by almost an inch so it’s now the size
of an 8.5-by-11-inch piece of paper and a little lighter.</p>
<p>Apple also changed the industrial design slightly, reverting to the flat
edges last seen in the iPhone 5s. One of those edges sports a magnetic
attachment area and wireless charging spot for the redesigned Apple
Pencil.</p>
<p>Speaking of charging, Apple broke with tradition and dropped the
Lightning connector in favor of the industry-standard USB-C for charging
and connecting to peripherals. That will make it easier to connect to an
external display. You may also need a $9 <a href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MU7E2AM/A/usb-c-to-35-mm-headphone-jack-adapter">[USB-C-to-3.5mm headphone
jack
adapter]{.underline}</a>.</p>
<h3 id="incremental-changes">Incremental Changes</h3>
<hr />
<p>Those are the most obvious new features, but some of the more
evolutionary changes will be equally as welcome. Most notable is the new
A12X Bionic chip with embedded M12 coprocessor and Neural Engine. This
Apple-designed chip is reportedly faster than 95% of laptops available
today, and it gives the iPad Pro unparalleled performance among iOS
devices.</p>
<p>That performance also powers the improved 12-megapixel rear camera,
giving it enhanced computational photography capabilities, like Smart
HDR, which takes multiple images and combines them intelligently for the
best possible exposure. On-screen performance is improved, and
everything will look better than ever before thanks to a new Liquid
Retina display that features Apple’s True Tone and ProMotion
technologies. In a classic Apple touch, the screen now features rounded
corners.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/applefinally/image7.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<h3 id="accessories">Accessories</h3>
<hr />
<p>Along with the revamped iPad Pro models, Apple introduced a new Smart
Keyboard Folio that improves on the previous Smart Keyboard by wrapping
around to protect the back of the iPad Pro as well. It uses a redesigned
Smart Connector and provides two viewing angles.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/applefinally/image8.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>More impressive is the new Apple Pencil, which now features a flat,
touch-sensitive surface that you can double-tap to change drawing modes
in many apps. That flat surface also makes it easy to attach to the edge
of the iPad Pro magnetically so you won’t lose it and where it charges
wirelessly. The easy-to-lose cap is gone, as is the Lightning connector,
so the Apple Pencil is now shorter and more pencil-like—it won’t roll
off the desk anymore.</p>
<h3 id="price-2">Price</h3>
<hr />
<p>How much will all this goodness cost? By the time all is said and done,
you’ll be in MacBook Air range. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 for
a Wi-Fi-only model with 64 GB of storage. 256 GB runs $949, 512 GB is
$1149, and 1 TB will set you back $1549. Add $150 if you want
cellular connectivity in any of these configurations.</p>
<p>For the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, add $200, so $999 for 64 GB, $1149 for
$256 GB, $1349 for 512 GB, and $1749 for 1 TB. Cellular puts another
$150 on the tab. Both sizes of iPad are available in either silver or
space gray.</p>
<p>The new Apple Pencil costs $129, and the Smart Keyboard Folio is either
$179 for the 11-inch model or $199 for the 12.9-inch model.</p>
<p>Remember, you can still get a regular iPad for as little as $329 and
the original Apple Pencil is only $99, so if all you want is an iPad,
you don’t need to spring for an iPad Pro. But if you’re using an iPad
Pro as your primary work device and are willing to pay for the power,
these new models are compelling upgrades.</p>
Wed, 31 Oct 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/apple-finally-updates-macbook-air-and-mac-mini-2018/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/apple-finally-updates-macbook-air-and-mac-mini-2018/Make Safari Tabs Easier to Identify by Adding Icons<p>Do you end up with so many tabs in Safari that it becomes impossible to
read the truncated tab titles? There’s no shame in that, and Safari
12—which comes with macOS 10.14 Mojave and is a free update for 10.12
Sierra and 10.13 High Sierra—now offers an option to add an icon
representing the Web site to each open tab. Called a <em>favicon,</em> this
tiny image is usually carefully designed to identify its site and makes
it easier to pick out the tab. To enable the feature, open Safari &gt;
Preferences &gt; Tabs and select “Show website icons in tabs.” Unlike
other Web browsers, Safari never shrinks a regular tab to just the icon,
so you’ll always see the icon and some text.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/favicons/image2.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/make-safari-tabs-easier-to-identify-by-adding-icons/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/make-safari-tabs-easier-to-identify-by-adding-icons/iOS 12 Screen Time Feature Helps You Manage Your iPhone Usage<p>Do you frequently reach for your iPhone for a quick check of Facebook or
Messages? It’s all too easy to let social media, the latest hot game, or
even your work email intrude on your real life. If you’re uncomfortable
with how much—and when—you use your iPhone or iPad, iOS 12’s new
Screen Time feature can help you limit your usage in two ways, by time
of day and by time spent in an app.</p>
<p>(Screen Time can help you monitor and limit your children’s iOS usage
too. This article focuses on setting it up for yourself; we’ll examine
Screen Time parental controls another time.)</p>
<h3 id="get-started-with-screen-time">Get Started with Screen Time</h3>
<hr />
<p>To enable Screen Time, go to Settings &gt; Screen Time and tap Turn On
Screen Time. After you see an introductory splash screen, tap This Is My
iPhone to go to the main Screen Time screen.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/screentime/image2.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>Two options on the lower portion of this screen help you customize
Screen Time overall. Tap Use Screen Time Passcode to create another
passcode that controls access to Screen Time settings and lets you
extend time limits. It’s designed for parents who let their children use
their devices, but you could use it as a speed bump when overriding your
self-defined limits.</p>
<p>If you use both an iPhone and an iPad, enable Share Across Devices to
aggregate your usage. This syncs settings between your devices, so if
you want different setups, keep this option off.</p>
<h3 id="downtime">Downtime</h3>
<hr />
<p>To limit your usage according to a schedule, perhaps so you don’t get
caught up in a game before bed, tap Downtime, turn on the Downtime
switch, and set start and end times. Unfortunately, you can’t create
multiple schedules for different portions of the day.</p>
<h3 id="app-limits">App Limits</h3>
<hr />
<p>When you tap App Limits and then Add Limit, Screen Time presents you
with a list of categories and examples of your apps in each one. Select
one or more—say Social Networking and Games—and then tap Add. Then
set the amount of time you want to allow yourself overall for apps in
that category. You can create multiple category limits with different
amounts of allotted time.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/screentime/image3.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>If an app category is too broad, you can limit a particular app. Tap the
Screen Time graph at the top of the screen, scroll down to the Most Used
section, and tap an app in the list. At the bottom of that screen, tap
Add Limit and specify a time limit.</p>
<p>There are a few exceptions to the apps limited by both Downtime and App
Limits, regardless of your settings. The Phone app is always available,
and Clock, Find My iPhone, Safari, and Settings appear to be exempt. For
other apps you never want limited, tap Allowed Apps on the main Screen
Time screen, and then tap the green plus button next to any app you want
to allow. Apple adds FaceTime, Maps, and Messages to the Allowed Apps
list by default, but you can remove them if desired.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/screentime/image4.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<h3 id="living-with-screen-time">Living with Screen Time</h3>
<hr />
<p>Screen Time alerts you 5 minutes before a time limit expires and
displays a Time Limit screen when time runs out. Although the point of
Downtime and App Limits is to help you stop playing the latest addictive
game or reflexively checking Facebook, you can tap Ignore Limit to keep
using the app, either for 15 minutes or the rest of the day.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/screentime/image5.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>Screen Time also dims the icon for any affected app on the Home screen
and puts a tiny timer icon next to the name. You can still open such
apps, but you’ll go right to the Time Limit screen.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/screentime/image6.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>Equally as helpful is the way Screen Time reports on your usage so you
realize how much you’re using different apps. It provides a weekly
report, but you can always go into Settings &gt; Screen Time to see your
daily usage.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/screentime/image7.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>Tap that graph, and Screen Time lets you dive into the details, for
example, by revealing your most-used apps, how often you pick up your
device, and how many interrupting notifications you receive. Much of the
information in this screen is interactive—tap various items to see
more details or adjust settings.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/screentime/image8.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>Only you can decide if you’re using your iPhone or iPad more than you
like, and only you can exercise the self-control to restrict your usage.
But Screen Time highlights how you’re actually spending time, both as
you’re doing it and after the fact. Give it a try!</p>
Wed, 24 Oct 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/ios-12-screen-time-feature-helps-you-manage-your-iphone-usage/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/ios-12-screen-time-feature-helps-you-manage-your-iphone-usage/Have You Noticed That Mojave’s Dock Shows Recent Applications<p>The Mac’s Dock gives you quick access to frequently used apps,
documents, and folders, and makes it easy to switch to a running app. In
macOS 10.14 Mojave, the Dock has another feature: a list of apps you’ve
used recently that aren’t on your default Dock. Icons for these apps
appear between your Dock’s default apps and any documents or folders
that you’ve added—look closely and you’ll notice subtle lines in the
Dock that delineate this area. It always holds at least three apps, but
expands to hold as many launched apps (note the subtle dot under the
icon) as necessary; as you quit apps, their icons disappear until you’re
back down to three. If you don’t like this change, turn off “Show recent
applications in Dock” in System Preferences &gt; Dock.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/mdock/image2.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
Mon, 22 Oct 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/have-you-noticed-that-mojave’s-dock-shows-recent-applications/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/have-you-noticed-that-mojave’s-dock-shows-recent-applications/In iOS 12 Do Not Disturb Can Turn Itself Off—No More Missed Alerts<p>We love the Do Not Disturb feature in iOS—it’s essential for keeping
notifications from waking us up at night or causing embarrassing light
and noise in dark movie theater. But it’s long had a problem. When you
invoked Do Not Disturb manually for a movie or doctor’s appointment, you
had to remember to turn it off manually when you were done, or risk
missing important notifications. No more!</p>
<p>In iOS 12, Apple enhanced Do Not Disturb in two ways: enabling it to
disable itself automatically after a certain amount of time or when your
location changes and adding a Bedtime mode that holds all notifications
until you wake up.</p>
<h3 id="an-automatic-end-to-do-not-disturb-sessions">An Automatic End to Do Not Disturb Sessions</h3>
<hr />
<p>In previous versions of iOS, you invoked Do Not Disturb manually by
tapping its button in Control Center. However, if you forgot to turn it
off after your meeting, say, it would stay on forever unless you had a
Do Not Disturb schedule set, and even then, not until the end of that
schedule. So if you forgot to turn Do Not Disturb off after a 10 AM
meeting, it could stay on until the next morning or until you realized
you weren’t getting any calls or messages.</p>
<p>If you start Do Not Disturb sessions in the same way in iOS 12, they’ll
act the same way. But if you force-touch or press and hold the Do Not
Disturb button in Control Center, that brings up the Do Not Disturb card
with five options:</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/dnd12/image2.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>For 1 hour: This first choice tells Do Not Disturb to hold all your
calls for an hour, after which it will turn off automatically.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Until this evening/Until tomorrow morning: If you invoke this option
during the day, it will silence calls and notifications until 7 PM.
Select it at night, however, and it will quiet your iPhone until 7
AM.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Until I leave this location: Use this choice when you’re invoking Do
Not Disturb in conjunction with being in a particular spot that
you’ll leave as soon as you’re done.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Until the end of the next event: When you enable Do Not Disturb
during an event on your calendar, this choice appears, giving you
the option of turning off Do Not Disturb at the end of the event.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Schedule: Tap this button to open Settings &gt; Do Not Disturb.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>While Do Not Disturb is on, iOS 12 puts a notification on the Lock
screen telling you when it will turn itself off. At any time before
then, you can tap the Lock screen notification to allow calls and
notifications again.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/dnd12/image3.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<h3 id="do-not-disturb-during-bedtime">Do Not Disturb During Bedtime</h3>
<hr />
<p>In Settings &gt; Do Not Disturb, you’ll find a new Bedtime switch. When
enabled during the times for which you’ve scheduled Do Not Disturb, it
dims and blacks out the Lock screen, silences calls, and sends all
notifications to Notification Center instead of showing them on the Lock
screen.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/dnd12/image4.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>The idea behind the Bedtime switch is that it reduces the chances that
glancing at your iPhone in the middle of the night to see what time it
is will shock your eyes or engage your brain. Sleep is good! But if you
get up early and want to allow notifications through again, tap the Do
Not Disturb notification on the Lock screen to turn it off.</p>
<p>That’s not all you can do with Do Not Disturb During Bedtime. You might
know that there’s a Bedtime screen in the Clock app that’s designed to
help you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. If you use it
to set your desired sleep schedule and enable the Do Not Disturb During
Bedtime switch in Clock &gt; Bedtime &gt; Options, you get <em>another</em> Do Not
Disturb schedule.</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/dnd12/image5.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
<p>That could be extremely welcome if, for instance, you want Do Not
Disturb on automatically both at night when you’re sleeping and also
during a regularly scheduled class or meeting.</p>
<p>Give these new Do Not Disturb options a try! They go a long way toward
ensuring that our iPhones fit into our lives better, rather than forcing
us to pay attention to every last alert or message.</p>
Fri, 19 Oct 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/in-ios-12-do-not-disturb-can-turn-itself-off—no-more-missed-alerts/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/in-ios-12-do-not-disturb-can-turn-itself-off—no-more-missed-alerts/Finally iOS 12 Lets You Use Google Maps or Waze in CarPlay<p>Before iOS 12, Apple Maps was the only mapping app you could run on the
dashboard in a CarPlay-equipped automobile. But Maps doesn’t always work
well, and some people prefer directions from Google Maps or the
Google-owned Waze. Once you upgrade your iPhone to iOS 12 and update to
the latest version of Google Maps or Waze for iOS, you’ll be able to use
those apps on your CarPlay screen. Happy navigating!</p>
<p><img src="https://jonbrown.org/assets/images/blog/2018/carplay/image2.png" class="aligncenter" width="750" /></p>
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 05:00:00 +0000https://jonbrown.org//blog/finally-ios-12-lets-you-use-google-maps-or-waze-in-carplay/
https://jonbrown.org//blog/finally-ios-12-lets-you-use-google-maps-or-waze-in-carplay/